Kevin Yoder fined in 2009 for refusing Breathalyzer test

Congressional candidate Kevin Yoder entered a plea in traffic court in 2009 in connection with refusing to take a preliminary breath test as part of a traffic stop on Kansas Highway 10 east of Lawrence, according to Douglas County court records.
“Kevin was pulled over for speeding. He was asked to take a field sobriety test, which he passed,” Yoder’s campaign spokeswoman Alissa McCurley said in a statement. “He was issued a speeding ticket and then asked to take a preliminary Breathalyzer test. He declined because he had passed the sobriety test. Kevin was not driving under the influence. He paid the fine for one citation, the other was dismissed.”

Yoder, an Overland Park Republican and current Kansas House member, faces Democrat Stephene Moore and Libertarian Jasmin Talbert in the Nov. 2 election. The candidates are seeking to represent the state’s 3rd District — which includes eastern Lawrence and Douglas County plus Johnson and Wyandotte counties — in Congress.

According to online court records, Yoder was pulled over by a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper on Feb. 8, 2009. He faced two citations initially — one for allegedly driving 80 mph in a zone with a 70 mph speed limit and one for refusing to submit to the preliminary breath test.

According to the records in the case, on June 5, 2009, prosecutors dismissed the speeding charge, and he entered a guilty plea to refusing to submit to the breath test. He was assessed $165 in fines and court costs, which were paid that day. More information from the Douglas County district attorney’s office was unavailable Sunday.

Moore’s campaign manager, Matt Sinovic, called Yoder’s actions “irresponsible” and said the incident meant “he is not fit to be a member of Congress.”

“As a nurse for more than 25 years, Stephene has seen the horrific consequences of drunk driving,” Sinovic said in a statement. “In America, no one is above the law. Leaders in our community must be held to high standards and be accountable for their actions.”